Medieval people (1924)

These are genuinely endearing stories of individuals of medieval Europe who were not royalty or aristocracy. Power gleans details of the lives of these people from numerous sources, and, at least in the case of the peasant, Bodo, uses these sources to create a composite character, due to the lack of sufficient historical information about any one historical person.

Powers describes the lives, homes, general living conditions and practices, the towns and villages, and the working and leasure time of her subjects. With varying degrees of success, Powers is able to bring three-dimensional figures to life, and at the end of this work, one feels like one is leaving new friends.

Highly recommended to anyone who enjoys cultural history or simply wants a better idea of medieval life.

Os. ( )

Taking a completely novel approach for it's time, this book profiled the everyday lives of normal people in the middle ages. It does include Marco Polo, but he's the only person of any note in the book. I was bowled when I read it 40 years ago to learn that history could be about something other than the lives of kings and who was fighting who. I think even today's readers, for whom this approach to history is normal, would find these portraits interesting. ( )

Ordinary folks,

living in middle ages;

learn about their lives. ( )